The present invention relates to a knee protector for a vehicle, for protecting knees of an occupant.
Inside of an instrument panel in an interior of a vehicle such as an automobile for example is provided with pairs of right and left knee protectors at positions corresponding to a driver seat and a passenger seat.
Each of the knee protectors, such as a knee protector disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. H08-192702, has an approximately V-shaped or a U-shaped structure having a deformation part flexed upwardly from a lower end of a base part in which an upper end thereof is fixed to a steering member. The knee protector also has a U-like or a hat-shaped cross-section having flange parts bent orthogonally from side ends, respectively. When the vehicle collides, each knee of an occupant hits against the deformation part of the knee protector via the instrument panel, and each of the deformation parts is deformed in a direction to which the deformation parts are folded. Thereby, impact energy of the knees of the occupant is absorbed, and the occupant's knees are protected.
However, in the knee protector including the knee protector disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. H08-192702 for example, the deformation part having the U-like or the hat-shaped cross-section of the knee protector is deformed in the direction to which the deformation part is folded to absorb the impact energy of the knees of the occupant, and therefore, there is a problem that absorption efficiency of the impact energy is low. Also, since reaction force fluctuates when the flange parts, each bent orthogonally from the side ends, are bent, shape design of the knee protector is difficult. Moreover, because each knee of various occupants having different height due to a difference in physical constitution of the occupants is received with one deformation part of the knee protector, the most appropriate absorption of the impact energy in accordance with the difference in the physical constitution of the occupants cannot be accomplished.